Anniversary Hill Park

Anniversary Hill Park was originally acquired as the result of several land donations between 1923 and 1939 to celebrate Holyoke's fiftieth anniversary as a city. The park underwent important infrastructure improvements in the early 1940s under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Through the WPA the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed numerous hardscape features, many which are still visible today, including trails, footbridges, stone steps, and Scott Tower itself.

The City of Holyoke is optimistic about the future of Anniversary Hill Park, using Community Field Park as a source of inspiration. Community Field Park is the most popular park in Holyoke, largely thanks to a concerted funding effort in 2010. Originally park of Anniversary Hill Park, the two parks were split by I-91 in the 1960s. This now-limited access to Anniversary Hill Park has led to a steep decline in public use over the following decades. The City is looking to address accessibility challenges to make the park a destination for families and nature lovers.

The City of Holyoke has received funding for improvements at Anniversary Hill Park through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding and a grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Current restoration efforts began in 2021 with the acquisition of an additional 14.1 acres of forest north of Scott Tower. This undertaking was assisted by Kestrel Land Trust, a non-profit that conserves and cares for forests, farms, and riverways in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts.

Phase 1 of the project includes the creation of a new accessible trail corridor and the burial of overhead utilities. Holyoke's Office of Conservation and Sustainability collaborated with the Parks and Recreation Department and Kestrel Land Trust to conduct a community outreach process and creation of a master plan. This included an online survey distributed in English and Spanish that garnered over 450 responses from residents across the city. Multiple community events were held with the assistance of GZA GeoEnvironmental.

In 2022, Holyoke's Office of Conservation and Sustainability gathered an additional $1.7 million in funding from various grant sources to support an initial phase of improvements. Leftover funding will be used to improve the existing Civilian Conservation Corps-era stone structures, trail improvements, and landscaping in accordance with the community vision.

Check back for updates and ways you can be involved in the planning process.

Community Survey (English)
Community Survey (Spanish)

 

Anniversary Hill Park in the news!

Re-envisioning Holyoke's Historic Anniversary Hill Park

Anniversary Field- Historical Tours of Greater Holyoke

Work to begin at Holyoke's Anniversary Hill Park

Holyoke's largest park undergoes restoration of trails to Scott Tower

Improvements at Anniversary Hill Park in Holyoke begin Wednesday